


Top of the Kettle

by doublejoint



Category: One Piece
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:47:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29526612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doublejoint/pseuds/doublejoint
Summary: This volcano reminds Robin of a kettle.
Relationships: Nami/Nico Robin
Kudos: 12
Collections: February Ficlet Challenge 2021: Apocalypse No





	Top of the Kettle

**Author's Note:**

> For Day 17 of the February Ficlet Challenge: Volcano

They’d reached the island at sunset yesterday, a bright and brilliant scene full of streaks of purple, red, and a little bit of orange--the very shade of Nami’s hair, and a brilliant light on the ship and the orange trees and Nami herself. The sun had lingered in the sky, as if it hadn’t wanted to slip over the horizon, and Nami hadn’t been terribly surprised by any of it but she’d looked happy.

“I’ve always wanted to see a volcano sunset,” she’d said, leaning back on her hands and stretching her legs out, pointing her toes. 

“Does it live up to your expectations?” Robin had replied.

“Yes,” Nami had said, smiling over her shoulder, the angle she considers her best, and Robin had acknowledged the flattery.

Today, though, they’re climbing the volcano, digging into the rocky terrain and heading up to the simmering top. It’s like an oddly-shaped tea kettle, still steaming after having been removed from the heat of the stove; the thought of volcano tea makes her smile. What would it taste like?

“Robin, are you spacing out again?”

“What makes you say that?”

Nami rolls her eyes, not without affection. “Give me a lift up?”

Robin obliges, crossing her hands over her chest and letting arms sprout in a spiral staircase. She lets Nami climb up to the next ledge first, vanishing the extra arms behind her as she goes, and when she reaches the ledge, Nami holds out her own hand. Robin takes it, though there’s no reason for her to do so. 

“There’s nothing we need right here. We’ll have to climb a little higher to get a better read.”

Robin nods. She laces her fingers in between Nami’s, and looks up again at the top. 

“Do you think it could erupt again soon?”

“Doubt it,” says Nami. “Based on the readings I’m getting. Why, do you want to see one?”

“It might be nice,” says Robin.

(She’s read about flowing lava burning everything in its path until it solidifies, like a particularly bloody wound drying into a scab, but with more destruction and heat. A picture is just a moment, though, and words, though a continuation, are still only enough to make her want to see it for herself.)

Nami gives her a sidelong look, then squeezes her hand, walking forward again. Robin could ask what about this is analyzing the weather patterns, because she’s fairly certain Nami had already figured it out, if not last night then at the latest by this morning. But perhaps volcanoes are too variable, or perhaps Nami’s making excuses--though it’s not really her style to volunteer for a trek up the side of a mountain while some of their crewmates go around the other side and gather samples of the soil and look for anything interesting.

It is true that this island is said to have been frequented by the Pirate King, which is reason enough for them to visit it. But is there treasure here? Or something else? Do they really need to understand the volcanic weather patterns in order to move inland? Robin says nothing, looking up again. From this particular angle, the ledge jutting out on the slope, the top of the volcano looks even more like a kettle. Sanji had given them tea with their lunches, had he not?

* * *

Nami drops Robin’s hand when her own gets too sweaty; she wipes it on her pants and keeps going on her own. Robin continues to follow. The sun is hot overhead, like standing in front of an oven, reminding Robin of the least pleasant parts of her early childhood when she’d had to cook for her relatives. She’d rather not think about that now, so she tries to imagine a nice warm day on the open ocean, or even sitting in the open air in Alabasta. Even the desert sun had not been quite like this. When they reach the top, sweat is pouring into her eyes, and Robin realizes, as she sits down next to Nami on a steady-looking boulder, how hungry she is.

They eat in silence, gulping down their tea, refreshing as it is apt this close to the steaming volcano. This close, it resembles a kettle less; it’s more ordinary, like a hot spring, or even a steamed-up bathroom--but it’s still much better than that. Robin isn’t quite sure she could articulate the difference when pressed, but she’d sure that Nami wouldn’t press her, and Nami would understand it. 

“So,” Robin says, as they put away their lunchboxes. “What’s this weather pattern analysis you wanted to do?”

“I did it already,” Nami says. “Observing the air and the soil on the way up.”

“So...”

“So we can do what we want,” Nami says. “Until the others get here.”

She wrinkles her nose. Robin herself is a bit surprised that Luffy hadn’t just stretched his arms and used himself as a slingshot to get there, but perhaps he’d been more taken in with the hike, or gotten distracted. But until he decides to do that, or someone decides to start a race, or throw someone else up the mountain, they have each other, at the top of the volcano, in the heat with the steam rolling thigh and high, so close to them. 

Robin leans in, her mouth so close to Nami’s, and then a shrill scream echoes from somewhere close. Nami stiffens slightly, but Robin kisses her, more abbreviated and quick than she would like. Someone yells something in the direction of the scream, and the inflection sounds like it might be Usopp. Robin sends an ear over.

“It’s an ordinary beetle and it’s totally harmless!” Yes, definitely Usopp.

“It’s fucking disgusting!” So Sanji was the screamer.

They’re distracted, but they’re also distracting, as is the notion of a disgusting beetle of some kind. Nami pouts.

“That ruined the mood.”

“Yes,” says Robin. “But thank you for taking me up here.”

Nami’s expression softens like water overflowing, and she leans against Robin’s shoulder. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
